Portal:Cambodia

Welcome to the Cambodia Portal / សូមស្វាគមន៍

Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Mainland Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline along the Gulf of Thailand in the southwest. It spans an area of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 square miles), dominated by a low-lying plain and the confluence of the Mekong river and Tonlé Sap, Southeast Asia's largest lake. It is dominated by a tropical climate. Cambodia has a population of about 17 million people, the majority of which are ethnically Khmer. Its capital and most populous city is Phnom Penh, followed by Siem Reap and Battambang.

In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself king, uniting the warring Khmer princes of Chenla under the name "Kambuja". This marked the beginning of the Khmer Empire. The Indianised kingdom facilitated the spread of first Hinduism and then Buddhism to Southeast Asia and undertook religious infrastructural projects throughout the region, the most famous of which is Angkor Wat. In the 15th century, it began a decline in power until, in 1863, Cambodia became a French protectorate. Following Japanese occupation during World War II, Cambodia declared independence from France in 1953. The Vietnam War embroiled the country in civil war during the 1960s, culminating in a 1970 coup which installed the US-aligned Khmer Republic and the takeover of the communist Khmer Rouge in 1975. The Khmer Rouge ruled the country and carried out the Cambodian genocide from 1975 until 1979, until they were ousted during the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. Peace was restored by the 1991 Paris Peace Accords and subsequent United Nations peacekeeping mission, establishing a new constitution, holding the 1993 general election, and ending long-term insurgencies. The 1997 coup d'état consolidated power under Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP). (Full article...)

Selected article -

Pol Pot in 1978

Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 until his overthrow in 1979. During his reign, his administration oversaw mass atrocities and he is widely believed to be one of the most brutal despots in modern world history. Ideologically a Maoist and Khmer ethnonationalist, Pot was a leader of Cambodia's Communist movement, known as the Khmer Rouge, from 1963 to 1997. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea from 1963 to 1981, during which Cambodia was converted into a one-party state. Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge perpetrated the Cambodian genocide, in which an estimated 1.5–2 million people died—approximately one-quarter of the country's pre-genocide population. In December 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia to remove the Khmer Rouge from power. Within two weeks Vietnamese forces occupied most of the country, ending the genocide and establishing a new Cambodian government, with the Khmer Rouge restricted to the rural hinterlands in the western part of the country.

Born to a prosperous farmer in Prek Sbauv, French Cambodia, Pol Pot was educated at some of Cambodia's most elite schools. Arriving in Paris in October 1949 on an academic scholarship, he later joined the French Communist Party in 1951 while studying at École française de radioélectricité. Returning to Cambodia in 1953, he involved himself in the Khmer Viet Minh organisation and its guerrilla war against King Norodom Sihanouk's newly independent government. Following the Khmer Viet Minh's 1954 retreat into North Vietnam, Pol Pot returned to Phnom Penh, working as a teacher while remaining a central member of Cambodia's Marxist–Leninist movement. In 1959, he helped formalise the movement into the Kampuchean Labour Party, which was later renamed the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK). To avoid state repression, in 1962 he relocated to a jungle encampment and in 1963 he became the CPK's leader. In 1968, he relaunched the war against Sihanouk's government. After Lon Nol ousted Sihanouk in a 1970 coup, Pol Pot's forces sided with the deposed leader against the new government, which was bolstered by the United States military. Aided by the Viet Cong militia and North Vietnamese troops, Khmer Rouge forces advanced and controlled all of Cambodia by 1975. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected picture

Credit: Photo by Oliver Spalt, Upload by User:Spolloman

A worker is removing the rice seedlings in Kratié Province, Cambodia.

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General images

The following are images from various Cambodia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Mountain panorama view in Mondulkiri Province, north-eastern Cambodia, November 2012 (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 2Eisenhower and Sihanouk in 1959 (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 3Agricultural fields in the Kampong Cham province, aerial (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 4Chrey Thom Waterfall Mondulkiri Province (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 5Sisowath Sirik Matak with President Richard Nixon (from History of Cambodia)
Image 6Cambodian Pidan (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 7Floating homes on the Mekong (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 8John F. Kennedy and Prince Sihanouk in New York, 1961 (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 9Worldwide zones of Tropical savanna climate (Aw). (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 10Flag of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (from History of Cambodia)
Image 11Rice fields in Takeo Province (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 12An overview of drainage divides (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 13Traditional Khmer music performance (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 14An aerial view of bomb craters in Cambodia (2014) (from History of Cambodia)
Image 15Southern Annamites montane rain forests: ecoregion territory (in purple) (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 16The mainland of Southeast Asia at the end of the 13th century (from History of Cambodia)
Image 17Cambodian farmers planting rice (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 18A map of Cambodia's Köppen climate classification zones (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 19Archers mounted on war elephants, stone relief at the Bayon (from History of Cambodia)
Image 20The tale of Vorvong & Sorvong illustration, a Khmer 19th century drawing. (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 21Tatai River, draining the southern slopes of the Cardamom Mountains (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 22Rooms of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum contain thousands of photos taken by the Khmer Rouge of their victims. (from History of Cambodia)
Image 23Map of South-east Asia c. 900 CE, showing the Khmer Empire in red, Champa in yellow and Haripunjaya in light green, plus additional surrounding states (from History of Cambodia)
Image 24A map of rainfall regimes in Cambodia, source: DANIDA (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 25Geographic map of Cambodia (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 26A farm in Kampot province (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 27A map of forests, vegetation and land use in Cambodia (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 28Water buffalos in the paddy fields (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 29Emblem of the Salvation Front at the former head office in Phnom Penh (from History of Cambodia)
Image 30Flag of Democratic Kampuchea (from History of Cambodia)
Image 31King Norodom Sihamoni (from History of Cambodia)
Image 32Coronation of Norodom Sihanouk in 1941 (from History of Cambodia)
Image 33Cambodian musical instruments (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 34Kampot Province, countryside with remote Elephant Mountains (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 35A polluted estuary near Ream commune in Sihanoukville province, Cambodia 2014 (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 36Unauthorized sand mining at the Tatai River in the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor, Cambodia 2012 (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 37The territories of Eastern Wu (in green), 262 CE (from History of Cambodia)
Image 381780 map of Cambodia and Southeast Asia (from History of Cambodia)
Image 39Choeung Ek Monument contains more than 5,000 human skulls. (from History of Cambodia)
Image 40Norodom Sihanouk and his wife with Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena Ceauşescu, 1974 (from History of Cambodia)
Image 41Flag of Cambodia pre-1864 (from History of Cambodia)
Image 42Jacqueline Kennedy, Sisowath Kossamak, and Norodom Sihanouk in 1967. (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 43Mekong tributary, Stung Treng Province (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 44Khmer musical instruments and theatre masks (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 45A welcoming ceremony for Sihanouk in China, 1956 (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 46Archaeologists examine prehistoric cave paintings in Pursat province (from Early history of Cambodia)
Image 47Phnom Penh in 1964. (from Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970))
Image 48Aromatic long-grain (សែនក្រអូប, sên krâ-op) rice, one of the best paddy rice varieties of Cambodia (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 49Worldwide zones of tropical monsoon climate (Am). (from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 50Norodom Sihanouk and his wife in Indonesia, 1964 (from History of Cambodia)
Image 51Traditional male clothing (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 52Portrait statue of Jayavarman VII (from History of Cambodia)
Image 53Bakong, one of the earliest temple mountain in Khmer architecture (from History of Cambodia)
Image 54Longvek, the former capital of Cambodia (from History of Cambodia)
Image 55Moonlight pavilion in Phnom Penh (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 56Roman trade with India according to the Periplus Maris Erythraei, 1st century CE (from History of Cambodia)
Image 57Khmer folk dance (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 58Nang Sbek Thom figure plate. (from Culture of Cambodia)
Image 59
Topography of Cambodia
(from Geography of Cambodia)
Image 60Hun Sen was the longest-serving head of government in Cambodia's history. (from History of Cambodia)
Image 61The volume of Tonle Sap Lake over the course of one year
Image 62Phnom Penh in 1973 amid the Cambodian Civil War. (from History of Cambodia)
Image 63Map of Funan at around the 3rd century (from History of Cambodia)
Image 64A fishing hut on the Tonle Sap (from Agriculture in Cambodia)
Image 65Lon Nol (from History of Cambodia)

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that an American citizen was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to overthrow the government of Cambodia?
... that Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann declined a request from Lee Kuan Yew to help design Singapore?
... that Isoup Ganthy, who was part of Cambodia's first Olympic team, later died in prison after being accused of working to overthrow the Khmer Rouge?
... that Cambodia's first science-fiction film, Karmalink, combines Buddhist concepts of karma with themes of artificial intelligence?
... that had Cambodian swimmer Apsara Sakbun declined her invitation to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics, her sister would have become an Olympian instead?
... that the French, when they began to colonize Cambodia, agreed that Angkor Wat was in Thailand?

More Did you know

...that former King Norodom Sihanouk holds the Guinness World Record for the politician who has occupied the greatest variety of political offices?

...that current Prime Minister Hun Sen started his term in 1985?

...that the Tonlé Sap supplies 60% of Cambodia's protein intake?

Famous Cambodians

Notable Cambodians include:

François Chau - Actor/Fisherman
Chuon Nath - Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism, father of the Khmer dictionary
Patricia Hy-Boulais - Professional tennis player
Keng Vannsak - Famous Khmer writer, philosopher and linguist
Khun Srun - Khmer writer
Kong Bunchhoeun - Famous Khmer poet and songwriter.
Kris Dim - Pro bodybuilder
Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt - Angelina Jolie's adopted son
Haing S. Ngor - Academy Award winner
Somaly Mam - Human rights activist, Olympic flag bearer
Rithy Panh - Director
Dith Pran - New York Times photo journalist
Norodom Sihanouk - King, Prime Minister, Actor, Director, Songwriter, Screenwriter
Loung Ung - Human rights activist
Chhun Yasith - President of Cambodian Freedom Fighters
Ros Sereysothea - One of the greatest female Khmer singers from the 1960s and early '70s
Sinn Sisamouth - Considered the greatest Khmer singer ever who also often sang with Sothea
Soth Polin - Famous Khmer writer
Touch Sunnix - Famous female Khmer singer.
Vann Molyvann - Considered the greatest Cambodian architect
Vong Sarendy - Fleet Admiral in the Khmer Republic, head of the Khmer National Navy (MNK) from 1970 to 1975.
Sosthène Fernandez - commander-in-Chief of the Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK) and chief of general staff of the Khmer Republic.

Recognized content

Extended content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Cambodia}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

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List of World Heritage Sites in Cambodia

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List of World Heritage Sites in Cambodia

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